Honest Lies
Recently, I was reading through a forum where the question of whether lying to a friend made the author of the thread a good friend or not…
… ummm… Whaaaaattt?!
Needless to say, this topic, and the overwhelming response that it was okay to lie to a friend, just astounded me. Of course there was a full assortment of reasons and “acceptable” situations given, but what very few people participating in the discussion seemed to realize was that it was just one excuse after another to tell a lie… to a friend.
Aren’t we supposed to build good, lasting relationships with our friends? And if we are so ready to lie to our friends, are we equally prepared to lie to our family, our spouses, and our children as well? These people are supposed to be those we care about most – those with whom we build lasting, loving, honest relationships. To consciously and intentionally taint those relationships with lies and the mistrust resulting from those lies… How are we -and our children- supposed to have meaningful relationships on any level?
Is it no wonder that there is such deceit, mistrust, isolation and selfishness in the world? If we can’t trust those who we know best -those whom we’re supposed to be able to trust- then we must take care of ourselves, right? Wrong. By doing so, we isolate ourselves even further from others, we lose further touch with our hearts and the balance and understanding that comes with that awareness.
Of course, being honest with ourselves is the first step in living honestly, and sometimes the lies resulting from that constant internal chattering of our egos are hard to spot if you don’t take the time to look for them. But like most things, increased awareness and ability comes with persistent, diligent practice… Are you looking?
Namaste.
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